Trans-impedance amplifier (TIA) for ultrasound devices

ABSTRACT

A variable-current trans-impedance amplifier (TIA) for an ultrasound device is described. The TIA may be coupled to an ultrasonic transducer to amplify an output signal of the ultrasonic transducer representing an ultrasound signal received by the ultrasonic transducer. During acquisition of the ultrasound signal by the ultrasonic transducer, one or more current sources in the TIA may be varied. The variable-current trans-impedance amplifier may include multiple stages, including a first stage having N-P transistor pairs configured to receive an input signal and produce a single-ended amplified signal.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/758,453, filed Nov. 9, 2018, entitled “TRANS-IMPEDANCE AMPLIFIER (TIA) FOR ULTRASOUND DEVICES,” the entire contents of which is incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND Field

The present application relates to ultrasound devices having an amplifier for amplifying received ultrasound signals.

Related Art

Ultrasound probes often include one or more ultrasound sensors, which sense ultrasound signals and produce corresponding electrical signals. The electrical signals are processed in an analog or a digital domain. Sometimes, ultrasound images are generated from the processed electrical signals.

BRIEF SUMMARY

According to an aspect of the present technology described herein, an ultrasound apparatus is provided, comprising an ultrasound sensor and a variable-current trans-impedance amplifier (TIA). The variable current TIA is coupled to the ultrasound sensor and configured to receive and amplify an output signal from the ultrasound sensor. The variable-current TIA has a variable current source.

According to an aspect of the present technology, a method is provided, comprising acquiring an ultrasound signal with an ultrasound sensor during an acquisition period and outputting, from the ultrasound sensor, an analog electrical signal representing the ultrasound signal. The method further comprises amplifying the electrical signal with a variable-current trans-impedance amplifier (TIA), including varying a current of the variable-current TIA during the acquisition period.

According to an aspect of the present application, a method is provided, comprising acquiring an ultrasound signal with an ultrasound sensor during an acquisition period, and outputting, from the ultrasound sensor, an analog electrical signal representing the ultrasound signal. The method further comprises amplifying the electrical signal with a variable-current trans-impedance amplifier (TIA), including decreasing a noise floor of the variable current TIA during the acquisition period.

According to an aspect of the present technology, an ultrasound apparatus is provided, comprising a variable current trans-impedance amplifier (TIA) configured to receive and amplify an output signal from an ultrasound sensor and having a variable-current source and a differential input stage comprising two pairs of N-P transistors.

According to an aspect of the present technology, an ultrasound apparatus is provided, comprising an ultrasound sensor, a variable-current trans-impedance amplifier (TIA) coupled to the ultrasound sensor and configured to receive and amplify an output signal from the ultrasound sensor. The variable-current TIA has a variable current source with an input quadrature transistor arrangement with current sharing.

According to an aspect of the present technology, an ultrasound apparatus is provided, comprising an ultrasound sensor, and a variable-current trans-impedance amplifier (TIA) coupled to the ultrasound sensor and configured to receive and amplify an electrical signal representing an output signal from the ultrasound sensor. The variable-current TIA has an input stage with a first pair of N and P transistors each having a control terminal configured to receive the electrical signal and a second pair of N and P transistors each having a control terminal configured to receive a bias signal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Various aspects and embodiments of the application will be described with reference to the following figures. It should be appreciated that the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. Items appearing in multiple figures are indicated by the same reference number in all the figures in which they appear.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an ultrasound device including an amplifier for amplifying an ultrasound signal, according to a non-limiting embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the amplifier of FIG. 1 in greater detail, according to a non-limiting embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 3A is a circuit diagram illustrating an implementation of the amplifier of FIG. 2 , according to a non-limiting embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 3B is a circuit diagram of an implementation of one variable impedance circuit of FIG. 3A, according to a non-limiting embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 3C is a circuit diagram of an implementation of another variable impedance circuit of FIG. 3A, according to a non-limiting embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 3D is a circuit diagram of an alternative to a portion of the amplifier of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 4 is a graph illustrating a behavior of two variable current sources of an amplifier during an acquisition period, as may be implemented by the amplifier of FIGS. 2 and 3A, according to a non-limiting embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 5 is a graph illustrating an electrical signal representing an ultrasound signal, and a noise floor of an amplifier during an acquisition period, according to a non-limiting embodiment of the present application.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Aspects of the present technology described herein relate to amplification circuitry for an ultrasound device. An ultrasound device may include one or more ultrasonic transducers configured to receive ultrasound signals and produce electrical output signals. Thus, the ultrasonic transducers may be operated as ultrasound sensors. The ultrasound device may include one or more amplifiers for amplifying the electrical output signals. An amount of power consumed by an amplifier, a noise generated by the amplifier, and a linear signal-amplification quality provided by the amplifier may depend on an amount of current consumed by the amplifier. In some embodiments, the amplifier may have a variable current source. The variable current source may be adjusted during acquisition of an ultrasound signal to maintain the noise level of the amplifier below the amplifier's signal level and to maintain a linear amplification of the signal while at the same time reducing the amount of power consumed by the amplifier. In some embodiments, the amplifier may be a TIA.

According to an aspect of the present technology, a variable-current TIA is provided that exhibits beneficial power performance for a given noise level. The variable-current TIA may include an input stage configured to receive a signal at transistors of opposite polarities, such as N-type and P-type MOSFETs. The transistors of opposite polarities may be arranged in input pairs, as a quad input configuration, with an input pair representing two transistors of opposite polarities (e.g., one N-type MOSFET and one P-type MOSFET) configured to receive a same input voltage at control terminals thereof. Current through the input pairs of transistors may be controlled to be substantially equal, thus providing reduced noise for a given power consumption of the variable-current TIA. In this manner, improved performance may be provided.

The aspects and embodiments described above, as well as additional aspects and embodiments, are described further below. These aspects and/or embodiments may be used individually, all together, or in any combination of two or more, as the present technology described herein is not limited in this respect.

FIG. 1 illustrates a circuit 100 for processing received ultrasound signals, according to some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology. The circuit 100 comprises N ultrasonic transducers 102 a . . . 102 n (sometimes collectively denoted “102” herein), wherein N is an integer, and N=n. In some embodiments, the ultrasonic transducers 102 may be sensors that produce electrical signals representing received ultrasound signals. The ultrasonic transducers 102 may also transmit ultrasound signals in some embodiments. The ultrasonic transducers 102 may be capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs) in some embodiments. The ultrasonic transducers may be piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers (PMUTs) in some embodiments. As will be appreciated, alternative types of ultrasonic transducers may be used for the ultrasonic transducers 102 in other embodiments.

The circuit 100 further comprises N circuitry channels 104 a . . . 104 n. The circuitry channels may correspond to respectively to the ultrasonic transducers 102 a . . . 102 n. For example, there may be eight ultrasonic transducers 102 a . . . 102 n and eight corresponding circuitry channels 104 a . . . 104 n. In some embodiments, the number of ultrasonic transducers 102 a . . . 102 n may be greater than the number of circuitry channels.

The circuitry channels 104 a . . . 104 n may include transmit circuitry, or receive circuitry, or both. The transmit circuitry may include transmit decoders 106 a . . . 106 n coupled to respectively to pulsers 108 a . . . 108 n. The pulsers 108 a . . . 108 n may respectively control the ultrasonic transducers 102 a . . . 102 n to emit ultrasound signals.

The receive circuitry of the circuitry channels 104 a . . . 104 n may receive the electrical signals output respectively from the ultrasonic transducers 102 a . . . 102 n. In the illustrated example, each circuitry channel 104 a . . . 104 n includes a respective receive switch 110 a . . . 110 n and a respective amplifier 112 a . . . 112 n. The receive switches 110 a . . . 110 n may be controlled to activate/deactivate readout of respective electrical signals from the ultrasonic transducers 102 a . . . 102 n. As will be appreciated, the receive switches 110 a . . . 110 n may be receive circuits, because alternative circuit structures, which may perform one or more function(s) of a switch, may be employed to perform a same or similar function as a switch. The amplifiers 112 a . . . 112 n, as well as an amplifier 300 of FIG. 3 (described below), may be TIAs in some embodiments. One or more of the amplifiers 112 a . . . 112 n may be variable-current amplifier(s). As will be described further below, a current of the amplifiers 112 a . . . 112 n may be varied during an acquisition period, thus enabling any one or any combination of: power consumption, noise level, and amplifier linearity to be adjusted. The amplifiers 112 a . . . 112 n may output analog signals.

The circuit 100 further comprises an averaging circuit 114, which may also be referred to herein as a summer or a summing amplifier. In some embodiments, the averaging circuit 114 may be a buffer or an amplifier. The averaging circuit 114 may receive output signals from one or more of the amplifiers 112 a . . . 112 n and may output or provide an averaged output signal. The averaged output signal may be formed in part by adding or subtracting the signals from the various amplifiers 112 a . . . 112 n. The averaging circuit 114 may include a variable feedback resistance. A value of the variable feedback resistance may be adjusted dynamically based upon a number of the amplifiers 112 a . . . 112 n from which the averaging circuit 114 receives signals. In some embodiments, the variable feedback resistance may include N resistance settings. That is, the variable feedback resistance may have a number of resistance settings corresponding to a number of the circuitry channels 104 a . . . 104 n. Thus, the average output signal may also be formed in part by application of a selected resistance to a combined signal inputted to the averaging circuit 114.

The averaging circuit 114 may be coupled to an auto-zero block 116. The auto-zero block 116 may be coupled to a programmable gain amplifier 118, which may include an attenuator 120 and a fixed gain amplifier 122. The programmable gain amplifier 118 may be coupled to an ADC 126 via ADC drivers 124. In the illustrated example, the ADC drivers 124 include a first ADC driver 125 a and a second ADC driver 125 b. The ADC 126 may digitize the signal(s) from the averaging circuit 114.

Although FIG. 1 illustrates a number of components as part of a circuit of an ultrasound device, it should be appreciated that aspects of the present technology described herein are not limited to the exact components or configurations of components illustrated. For example, aspects of the present technology may relate to the amplifiers 112 a . . . 112 n, and one or more component(s) illustrated downstream of the amplifiers 112 a . . . 112 n in the circuit 100 may be optional in some embodiments.

The components of FIG. 1 may be located on a single substrate or on different substrates. For example, as illustrated, the ultrasonic transducers 102 a . . . 102 n may be on a first substrate 128 a and the remaining illustrated components may be on a second substrate 128 b. The first and/or second substrates 128 a, 128 b may be semiconductor substrates, such as silicon substrates. In an alternative embodiment, the components of FIG. 1 may be on a single substrate. For example, the ultrasonic transducers 102 a . . . 102 n and the other illustrated circuitry may be monolithically integrated on a same semiconductor die. Such integration may be facilitated by using CMUTs as the ultrasonic transducers 102 a . . . 102 n.

According to an embodiment, the components of FIG. 1 may form part of an ultrasound probe. The ultrasound probe may be sized and structured to be handheld. In some embodiments, the components of FIG. 1 may form part of an ultrasound patch configured to be worn by a patient.

FIG. 2 illustrates a non-limiting example of the amplifier 112 a of FIG. 1 in greater detail. The same configuration may be used for the other amplifiers 112 a . . . 112 n of FIG. 1 . For context, the ultrasonic transducer 102 a and the averaging circuit 114 are also illustrated in FIG. 2 , whereas for simplicity the receive switch 110 a is omitted from FIG. 2 .

In this non-limiting embodiment, the amplifier 112 a is implemented as a two-stage operational amplifier (“op-amp” for short). A first stage 202 may be coupled to the ultrasonic transducer 102 a. The second stage 204 may be coupled between the first stage 202 and the averaging circuit 114. The second stage 204 may provide an output signal of the amplifier 112 a, in this non-limiting example.

The first stage 202 and the second stage 204 may each have a variable current source 203, 205. The variable current source 203 may be provided for the first stage 202 and may sink a current I₁. The variable current source 205 may be provided for the second stage 204 and may sink a current I₂. Although the variable current sources 203 and 205 are illustrated as distinct from the respective stages 202 and 204, they may be considered part of the respective stages 202 and 204.

With a two-stage amplifier construction as shown in FIG. 2 , the noise and the linearity of the amplified signal may be controlled independently. The noise of the amplifier 112 a may be impacted primarily by the first stage 202. The linearity of the amplifier 112 a may be impacted primarily by the second stage 204. More generally, the same may be true for a multi-stage amplifier having two or more stages, such that the noise of the amplifier may be impacted primarily by the first stage and the linearity of the amplifier may be impacted primarily by the last stage. The inventors have appreciated that during acquisition of an ultrasound signal, referred to herein as an acquisition period, the noise and the linearity of the amplified signal may vary in importance. When the ultrasound signal is initially received, early in the acquisition period and corresponding to relatively shallower depths from which reflected ultrasound waves forming the ultrasound signal as a reflected signal, the noise associated with this early or initial acquisition period will be relatively lower in amplitude compared to the amplitude of the received signal, but the linearity of the amplified signal may be of relatively higher importance. However, later during the acquisition period and corresponding to relatively greater depths from which reflected ultrasound waves forming the ultrasound signal as a reflected signal, the ultrasound signal is likely to be relatively smaller in amplitude, and thus the noise of the signal is of increased importance. Thus, the amplifier 112 a of FIG. 2 is designed to allow for independent and variable control of noise and linearity. Such control may be provided via the variable current sources 203 and 205.

Early during an acquisition period, the variable current source 203 may be controlled to sink a relatively small amount of current, while the current source 205 may be controlled to sink a relatively large amount of current. In such a scenario, the second stage 204 may operate to control the linearity of the amplified signal produced by the amplifier 112 a, while the first stage 202 may operate to control the noise of the amplified signal 202 to a lesser extent than that to which it is capable. Later in the acquisition period, the variable current source 203 may be controlled to sink an increased amount of current while the variable current source 205 may be controlled to sink a decreased amount of current. As the current sunk by the variable current source 203 is increased, the first stage 202 may operate to control the noise of the amplifier 112 a to a greater extent. As the current sunk by the variable current source 205 is decreased, the second stage 204 may operate to control the linearity of the amplifier 112 a to a lesser extent. Thus, dynamic current biasing of the amplifier 112 a, and more specifically the dynamic biasing of the first stage 202 and the second stage 204, may be implemented to control power, noise, and linearity characteristics of the amplifier 112 a during an acquisition period.

The dynamic control of the current sources 203 and 205 may be achieved using a digital controller 330, in an example arrangement shown in FIG. 3A. The variable current sources 203 and 205 may each include two or more programmable current settings. The greater the number of settings, the greater the control over the current sunk by the current sources 203 and 205.

The amplifier 112 a also may include a variable feedback impedance 206. In some embodiments, the variable feedback impedance 206 may be a variable RC feedback circuit. An example of such a variable RC feedback circuit is illustrated in FIG. 3A and described in connection with that figure. Feedback impedance may determine a transimpedance gain of a transimpedance amplifier (TIA), such that an input current signal may be converted into an output voltage of varying amplitude.

It should be appreciated from FIG. 2 and the foregoing description that an embodiment of the present technology may provide a multi-stage TIA having two or more independently controllable variable current sources, with a variable feedback impedance. The variable current sources may allow for dynamic current biasing of the TIA, for example during an acquisition period. Thus, the power consumption, noise, and linearity of the amplifier may be adjusted during the acquisition period.

FIG. 3A is a circuit diagram illustrating an implementation of the amplifier 112 a of FIG. 2 , according to a non-limiting embodiment of the present application. The amplifier 300 has an input 302 and an output 304. The input 302 may be coupled to an ultrasonic transducer or a receive switch, as described previously in connection with FIGS. 1 and 2 , and may receive an electrical signal representing an ultrasound signal received by the ultrasonic transducer. The output 304 may provide an amplified output signal of the amplifier 112 a, and may be coupled to an averaging circuit or other component to which it is desired to provide the amplified output signal.

The amplifier 300 includes a first stage 306 and a second stage 308, which may be implementations of the first stage 202 and the second stage 204 of FIG. 2 , respectively. The first stage 306 includes an NMOS transistor 310 having a gate configured to receive the signal at the input 302. A PMOS transistor 312 and a PMOS transistor 314 may have their gates coupled, with the drain of the PMOS transistor 312 coupled to the drain of the NMOS transistor 310. The gate of the transistor 312 may be coupled to its drain. The transistors 312 and 314 may also be configured to receive a power supply voltage VDDA. The first stage 306 may further comprise an NMOS transistor 316 having a gate configured to receive a bias voltage provided by an RC circuit. The RC circuit includes two resistors, of value R, with a capacitor C_(b) coupled in parallel with one of the two resistors; the other of the two resistors may receive the power supply voltage VDDA. The drain of the PMOS transistor 314 may be coupled to the drain of the NMOS transistor 316. An example value for R is 50 kOhm and an example value for C_(b) is 10 pF, although alternatives for both are possible, such as +/−20% of those values listed, or any value or range of values within such ranges.

The second stage 308 includes a PMOS transistor 318 configured to receive the output of the first stage 306. In particular, the gate of the PMOS transistor 318 is coupled to a node between the transistors 314 and 316 of the first stage 306. The source of PMOS the transistor 318 receives the power supply voltage VDDA. A variable impedance circuit 320 is also provided in the second stage 308. The variable impedance circuit 320 includes a variable capacitor C_(C) in series with a variable resistor R_(Z), and thus is a variable RC circuit in this embodiment. The variable impedance circuit 320 may provide stable operation of the amplifier 300 when a gain of the amplifier 300, or when currents of variable current sources 321, 325, are varied. Thus, the variable impedance circuit 320 may be provided to maintain a stable operation of the amplifier 300 for all magnitudes of currents sunk by the variable current sources 321 and 325. That is, values of the variable capacitor C_(C) and the variable resistor R_(Z) may be adjusted during operation of the amplifier 300 to account for different current settings that may be programmed by the digital controller 330

More specifically, a variable current source is provided for each of the stages 306 and 308. The variable current source 321 for the first stage 306 includes three parallel connected current sources 322 a, 322 b, and 322 c. The current source 322 a sinks a current I_(A), the current source 322 b sinks a current 2I_(A), and the current source 322 c sinks a current 4I_(A). The current sources 322 a-322 c are coupled to the first stage 306 by respective switches 324 a, 324 b, and 324 c, which effectively provide 3 bits (8 states) of current control. The current I_(A) may equal 100 microAmps, or +/−20% of that value, or any value or range of values within such ranges, as examples.

The variable current source 325 for the second stage 308 includes three parallel connected current sources 326 a, 326 b, and 326 c. The current source 326 a sinks a current I_(B), the current source 326 b sinks a current 2I_(B), and the current source 326 c sinks a current 4I_(B). The current sources 326 a-326 c are coupled to the second stage 308 by respective switches 328 a, 328 b, and 328 c, which effectively provide 3 bits (8 states) of current control. The current I_(B) may equal 50 microAmps, or +/−20% of that value, or any value or range of values within such ranges, as examples.

Although FIG. 3A illustrates variable current sources each including three parallel-coupled current sources, it should be appreciated that not all aspects of the present technology are limited in this manner. That is, variable current sources may be implemented in various manners, including alternative manners to those illustrated. For example, more or fewer than three current sources may be coupled in parallel to create a variable current source. Also, the current sources may have magnitudes that may be different than those disclosed herein. Any suitable magnitude(s) may be provided to allow for operation over a desired range of currents.

The digital controller 330 may be configured to control operation of the variable current sources 321 and 325. The digital controller 330 may provide control signals to (digitally) program the currents of the variable current sources 321, 325. In the illustrated example of FIG. 3A, the digital controller 330 provides one or more switching signals S1 to control operation of the switches 324 a-324 c, and one or more switching signals S2 to control operation of the switches 328 a-328 c. In this manner, an amount of current sunk by the variable current sources 321, 325 may be varied independently during operation of the amplifier 300, for example during an acquisition period. According to a non-limiting example, the digital controller 330 decreases an amount of current sunk by the variable current source 325 during the acquisition period and increases an amount of current sunk by the variable current source 321 during the acquisition period, through suitable operation of the switching signals S1 and S2.

The digital controller 330 may be any suitable type of controller. The digital controller 330 may include integrated circuitry. In some embodiments, the digital controller 330 may include or be part of an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). In some embodiments, the digital controller 330 may not be specific to the amplifier 300. For example, the digital controller 300 may be configured to control more than one component of the circuit of FIG. 1 , any of which may be the amplifiers 112 a . . . 112 n.

The amplifier 300 further includes a variable feedback impedance 332 formed by a variable capacitor C_(f) and a variable resistor R_(f). The capacitor C_(f) and the resistor R_(f) may be coupled between the output 304 and the input 302, and may be arranged in parallel with each other. The variable feedback impedance 332 may control a gain of the amplifier 300. Thus, values of the capacitor C_(f) and the resistor R_(f) may be adjusted to vary the gain of the amplifier 300.

The variable feedback impedance 332 and the variable impedance circuit 320 may be controlled in any suitable manner. In one embodiment, the digital controller 330 may set values of feedback impedances. However, alternative manners of control may be used.

It should be appreciated that the described groupings of components in connection with FIG. 3A are not limiting. For example, while certain components illustrated in that figure are described as being part of a first stage or a second stage, the identification of the first and second stages is not limiting. The first and second stages may include more, fewer, or different components than those illustrated.

FIG. 3B is a circuit diagram of an implementation of the variable impedance circuit 320 of FIG. 3A, according to a non-limiting embodiment of the present technology. The variable impedance circuit 320 includes a number of switches 340 a . . . 340 n arranged in parallel and configured to receive respective control signals SWa . . . SWn. In some embodiments, the digital controller 330 may provide the control signals SWa . . . SWn, although alternatives may be used. Each of the switches 340 a . . . 340 n is coupled in series with a respective capacitor C_(C) and a respective resistor R_(Z). An impedance of the variable impedance circuit 320 may be adjusted during an acquisition period through suitable provision of the control signals SWa . . . SWn. Any suitable number of parallel signal paths may be provided, so that the illustrated example of two parallel signal paths is non-limiting. The number of parallel signal paths of the switches 340 a . . . 340 n and capacitance and resistance values of the capacitors C_(C) and the resistors R_(Z) provided in the signal paths may be selected to provide sufficient control of the variable feedback impedance 332, to obtain variable operation of the amplifier 300 across a range of operating scenarios resulting from variation of the variable current sources 321, 325. For example, for a given amplifier gain dictated by variable feedback impedance 332, appropriate settings of variable impedance circuit 320 may be selected. In some embodiments, a lookup table may be utilized to determine the appropriate settings of the variable impedance circuit 320 based on a given gain set by the variable feedback impedance 332.

In both FIGS. 3A and 3B, the values of C_(C) and R_(Z) may be selected to provide desired operating characteristics. As examples, R_(Z) may be equal to 3 kOhms in some embodiments, and C_(C) may be equal to 300 fF. Alternatives for both are possible. For example, they may assume values within +/−20% of those values listed, or any value or range of values within such ranges.

FIG. 3C is a circuit diagram of an implementation of the variable impedance circuit 332 of FIG. 3A, according to a non-limiting embodiment of the present technology. The variable impedance circuit 332 includes a number of complementary switches 350 a, 350 b, . . . 350 n. The complementary switches 350 a, 350 b, . . . 350 n receive respective control signals SLa, SLb . . . SLn and SHa, SHb . . . SHn. The control signals SLa, SLb . . . SLn and SHa, SHb . . . SHn may be provided by the digital controller 330 in some embodiments, although alternatives may be used. The complementary switches 350 a, 350 b, . . . 350 n are coupled to respective parallel-connected RC circuits C_(f), R_(f). While three complementary switches 350 a, 350 b, 350 n are shown in FIG. 3C, any suitable number may be provided to allow for sufficient control of the gain of the amplifier 300.

In both FIGS. 3A and 3C, the values of C_(f) and R_(f) may be selected to provide desired operating characteristics. As examples, R_(f) may be equal to 180 kOhms in some embodiments, and C_(f) may be equal to 84 fF. Alternatives for both are possible. For example, they may assume values within +/−20% of those values listed, or any value or range of values within such ranges.

According to an aspect of the present technology, an alternative two-stage variable-current TIA is configured to provide an increased transimpedance gain in a first stage and a reduced noise for a given power consumption. The variable-current TIA may utilize input N-type and P-type transistors (referred to herein as “N type” and “P type” for short), which share a same current, thus leading to performance characteristics as described above. FIG. 3D illustrates a non-limiting example.

More specifically, FIG. 3D illustrates a circuit diagram of an alternative to a portion of the first stage 306 of the amplifier 300 of FIG. 3A. Specifically, a first stage 360 shown in FIG. 3D is an alternative to the first stage 306 of FIG. 3A. The first stage 360 includes an amplification portion comprising transistors 362 a, 362 b, 362 c, and 362 d, a local feedback comprising a transistor 364, a current source comprising transistors 366 and 368, and the previously-described RC circuit including resistors having a resistance value R and a capacitance value C_(b).

Amplification components of the first stage 360 may include two N-P transistor pairs, which may be considered more generally to be pairs of opposite polarity transistors. Namely, PMOS transistor 362 a and NMOS transistor 362 b form a first N-P transistor pair, and PMOS transistor 362 c and NMOS transistor 362 d form a second N-P transistor pair. These four transistors may also be referred to as a differential input quad, or an input quad (quadrature) transistor arrangement with current sharing, since a same current conducts through the two transistor pairs. The illustrated configuration of four transistors may also be referred to as a current-reused differential pair. As a result of the transistor pairs conducting substantially the same current as each other, the noise of the first stage 360 may be reduced by half for a given current consumption compared to the configuration of the first stage 306 in FIG. 3A. Alternatively, for a given noise level, the first stage 360 may consume approximately half the power consumed by the first stage 306.

As illustrated, an input signal InN is input to control terminals (e.g., gates) of the transistors 362 a and 362 b. Control terminals (e.g., gates) of the transistors 362 c and 362 d are biased by the illustrated RC network. That is, the transistors 362 a and 362 b receive a same input signal, and the transistors 362 c and 362 d receive a same input signal (a bias signal). Arranging the transistors 362 a-362 d in this manner means that both N-type and P-type transistors of a given transistor pair are receiving a same input signal.

An amplified output signal V_(amp) of the first stage 360 may be provided to a gate of the PMOS transistor 318 and the variable impedance circuit 320, as in FIG. 3A.

As described above, the first stage 360 includes a current source comprising transistors 366 and 368. The illustrated current source represents an example of a variable current source. However, a variable current source structured like either of the variable current sources 321, 325 of FIG. 3A may be implemented instead. That is, multiple switchable current sources may be coupled together in the manner shown in FIG. 3A for current sources 322 a, 322 b, and 322 c, and used as the variable current source of FIG. 3D instead of the transistors 366, 368.

As described above, the first stage 360 also includes local feedback in the form of the transistor 364. In the non-limiting example illustrated, the transistor 364 is a PMOS transistor. The local feedback operates to ensure that current through the two N-P transistor pairs is substantially equal. In theory, the local feedback is not needed for such a function, but in practice manufacturing differences between the transistors 362 a-362 d of the two N-P transistor pairs may result in unequal currents through those N-P transistor pairs. The local feedback operates to correct that behavior.

The first stage 360 may be used with the other circuit components of FIG. 3A, in the same manner as the first stage 306.

As with the amplifier 300 of FIG. 3A generally, the polarity of the transistors 362 a-362 d in the first stage 360 of FIG. 3D may be reversed. That is, the PMOS transistors may instead be NMOS transistors, and vice versa. Operation of such a polarity-reversed first stage would be substantially the same as that of the first stage 360. Thus, it should be appreciated that the amplifiers illustrated and described herein are not limited to a particular polarity of transistors, and that a “reversed” polarity arrangement, in which the transistor polarities of a given circuit may be reversed, is contemplated as part of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a graph illustrating the behavior of two variable current sources of a variable current amplifier during an acquisition period, as may be implemented by the amplifiers of FIGS. 2 and 3A, which again may be TIAs. For example, the illustrated behavior may be implemented by the variable current sources 203 and 205 of FIG. 2 . The x-axis represents time during an acquisition period, ranging from t0 to t8. The y-axis represents a current of the current source, having values ranging from I0 to I7. The values of t0-t8 and I0-I7 may be any suitable values for operation of a given ultrasound system, as the various aspects described herein are not limited to implementation of any specific time or current values. Also, the number of time intervals during an acquisition period is non-limiting, as more or fewer may be implemented. The number of current values that may be implemented is non-limiting, as more or fewer may be implemented.

Curve 402 represents a current of a variable current source of a second stage of a variable current amplifier. Thus, the curve 402 may represent a current of the current source 205 of FIG. 2 . Curve 404 represents a current of a variable current source of a first stage of the variable current amplifier. Thus, the curve 404 may represent a current of the current source 203 of FIG. 2 .

FIG. 4 illustrates that the currents of the first and second stages of the variable current amplifier move in opposing directions during the acquisition period. That is, the curve 402 decreases moving from time t0 to time t8, while the curve 404 increases during the same time span. As previously described in connection with FIG. 2 , the first and second stages of the variable current amplifier may impact different operational characteristics of the variable current amplifier, such as noise and linearity. Thus, when operating in the manner illustrated in FIG. 4 , the impact of the two stages of the variable current amplifier may vary during the acquisition period. That is, the impact of the second stage may be greater initially, up to time t4, while the impact of the first stage may be greater thereafter, from time t4 to time t8.

As previously described in connection with FIG. 3A, the currents of the two stages of a two-stage amplifier (e.g., a two-stage op-amp) being used to implement a variable current amplifier may be controlled by digital codes. Thus, the current values I0-I7 of FIG. 4 may correspond to different digital codes set by a digital controller, such as digital controller 330 of FIG. 3A.

While FIG. 4 illustrates that the currents in the first and second stages of the amplifier switch at the same times, not all embodiments are limited in this respect. For example, the current in the second stage could be adjusted at times offset from those at which the current in the first stage is adjusted. Likewise, the currents of the two stages need not be adjusted the same number of times during an acquisition period.

As described previously, an aspect of the present application provides an amplifier with a variable current source which is controlled to adjust the noise of the amplifier during an acquisition period. FIG. 5 illustrates an example of such operation.

In FIG. 5 , the voltage of an electrical signal 502 output by an ultrasonic transducer, and thus representing a detected ultrasound signal, is illustrated as a function of time. Dashed line 504 represents a noise floor of an amplifier used to amplify the electrical signal 502, and may correspond to a noise floor of an amplifier of the types described herein, such as amplifier 112 a. It can be seen that during the acquisition period, the magnitude of the electrical signal decreases. Likewise, the noise floor of the amplifier is decreased. Such a decrease in the noise floor may be achieved by controlling the current sunk by a variable current source of the amplifier, in the manner described previously herein. For example, referring to FIG. 2 , the variable current source 203 may be increased during the acquisition period to decrease the noise floor of the amplifier 112 a. The noise floor may be adjusted to a level that provides an acceptable signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).

FIG. 5 also illustrates a constant noise floor 506. It can be seen that while the constant noise floor 506 is at the same level as dashed line 504 toward the end of the acquisition period, the constant noise floor 506 is lower than the value of the dashed line 504 up to that point. As has been described herein, the noise level of an amplifier may be dependent on the current consumed by the amplifier; in such situations it should be appreciated that operating with the constant noise floor 506 requires significantly more current (and therefore power) than operating according to the noise floor 504. Thus, aspects of the present application enable a variable current amplifier to amplify ultrasound signals at substantial power savings compared to amplifiers operating with a constant noise level.

The amount of power savings may be significant. For example, in the circuit 100, the amplifiers 112 a . . . 112 n may consume a significant amount of power. In some embodiments, the amplifiers 112 a . . . 112 n may consume more power than any other components of the circuit 100. Accordingly, reducing the power consumption of the amplifiers 112 a . . . 112 n may provide a significant reduction in power consumed by the circuit 100. In some embodiments, utilizing variable current amplifiers of the types described herein may provide up to a 25% power reduction, up to a 40% power reduction, up to a 50% power reduction, or any range or value within such ranges, in terms of the operation of the amplifier. The resulting power reduction for the circuit 100 may be up to 10%, up to 20%, up to 25%, or any range or value within such ranges.

Having thus described several aspects and embodiments of the technology of this application, it is to be appreciated that various alterations, modifications, and improvements will readily occur to those of ordinary skill in the art. Such alterations, modifications, and improvements are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the technology described in the application. It is, therefore, to be understood that the foregoing embodiments are presented by way of example only and that, within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereto, inventive embodiments may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

As an example, certain embodiments described herein have focused on two-stage amplifiers. However, the techniques described herein may apply to multi-stage amplifiers having two or more stages. When more than two stages are used, the first stage may predominantly control the noise of the amplifier, while the last stage may predominantly control the linearity of the amplifier.

As described, some aspects may be embodied as one or more methods. The acts performed as part of the method(s) may be ordered in any suitable way. Accordingly, embodiments may be constructed in which acts are performed in an order different than illustrated, which may include performing some acts simultaneously, even though shown as sequential acts in illustrative embodiments.

All definitions, as defined and used herein, should be understood to control over dictionary definitions, definitions in documents incorporated by reference, and/or ordinary meanings of the defined terms.

The phrase “and/or,” as used herein in the specification and in the claims, should be understood to mean “either or both” of the elements so conjoined, i.e., elements that are conjunctively present in some cases and disjunctively present in other cases.

As used herein in the specification and in the claims, the phrase “at least one,” in reference to a list of one or more elements, should be understood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more of the elements in the list of elements, but not necessarily including at least one of each and every element specifically listed within the list of elements and not excluding any combinations of elements in the list of elements.

As used herein, the term “between” used in a numerical context is to be inclusive unless indicated otherwise. For example, “between A and B” includes A and B unless indicated otherwise.

In the claims, as well as in the specification above, all transitional phrases such as “comprising,” “including,” “carrying,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “holding,” “composed of,” and the like are to be understood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limited to. Only the transitional phrases “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of” shall be closed or semi-closed transitional phrases, respectively. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An ultrasound apparatus, comprising: a variable-current trans-impedance amplifier (TIA) configured to receive and amplify an output signal from an ultrasound sensor, the variable-current TIA comprising a variable current source and a differential input stage comprising a first pair of N-P transistors sharing a first input and a second pair of N-P transistors sharing a second input, wherein the first and second pairs of N-P transistors are configured to conduct a same current from the variable current source.
 2. The ultrasound apparatus of claim 1, wherein the variable-current TIA is a two-stage operational amplifier having a first stage and a second stage, wherein the first stage comprises the differential input stage, and wherein the variable current source includes a first variable current source coupled to the first stage and a second variable current source coupled to the second stage.
 3. The ultrasound apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first and second variable current sources are independently controllable.
 4. The ultrasound apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first and second variable current sources are digitally programmable.
 5. The ultrasound apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first stage is arranged to receive the output signal from the ultrasound sensor, and the second stage is arranged to provide an output signal of the variable current TIA.
 6. The ultrasound apparatus of claim 2, wherein the variable-current TIA further comprises a variable feedback RC circuit coupled between an output terminal of the variable-current TIA and a node representing an input to the second stage.
 7. The ultrasound apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a control circuit coupled to the variable current source and configured to control an amount of current through the variable current source.
 8. The ultrasound apparatus of claim 1, further comprising the ultrasound sensor, wherein the ultrasound sensor and the variable-current TIA are monolithically integrated on a semiconductor chip.
 9. The ultrasound apparatus of claim 1, wherein the variable-current TIA is a multi-stage operational amplifier having a first stage and a last stage, and wherein the variable current source includes a first variable current source coupled to the first stage and a second variable current source coupled to the last stage.
 10. The ultrasound apparatus of claim 1, wherein the differential input stage comprises a local feedback circuit configured to maintain substantially an equal current through the first and second pairs of N-P transistors.
 11. An ultrasound apparatus, comprising: an ultrasound sensor; a variable current trans-impedance amplifier (TIA) coupled to the ultrasound sensor and configured to receive and amplify an output signal from the ultrasound sensor, the variable-current TIA comprising a variable current source and an input quadrature transistor arrangement comprised of a first pair of N-P transistors sharing a same first input and a second pair of N-P transistors sharing a same second input, wherein the first and second pairs of N-P transistors are configured to share a current from the variable current source, and wherein the variable current source is configured to provide a dynamic bias current to the TIA.
 12. The ultrasound apparatus of claim 11, wherein the variable-current TIA comprises a local feedback circuit configured to maintain substantially an equal current through the input quadrature transistor arrangement.
 13. The ultrasound apparatus of claim 11, wherein the variable-current TIA is a two-stage operational amplifier comprising a first stage and a second stage, wherein the first stage comprises the input quadrature transistor arrangement configured to share the current from the variable current source, and wherein the variable current source includes a first variable current source coupled to the first stage and a second variable current source coupled to the second stage.
 14. The ultrasound apparatus of claim 13, wherein the first and second variable current sources are independently controllable.
 15. The ultrasound apparatus of claim 13, wherein the first and second variable current sources are digitally programmable.
 16. An ultrasound apparatus, comprising: an ultrasound sensor; a variable-current trans-impedance amplifier (TIA) coupled to the ultrasound sensor and configured to receive and amplify an electrical signal representing an output signal from the ultrasound sensor, the variable-current TIA comprising a variable current source, an input stage including a first pair of N and P transistors each having a control terminal configured to receive the electrical signal, and a second pair of N and P transistors each having a control terminal configured to receive a bias signal, wherein the first and second pairs of N-P transistors are configured to conduct a same current from the variable current source, and wherein the variable current source is configured to provide a dynamic bias current to the TIA.
 17. The ultrasound apparatus of claim 16, wherein the variable-current TIA comprises a local feedback circuit configured to maintain substantially an equal current through the first and second pairs of N and P transistors.
 18. The ultrasound apparatus of claim 16, wherein the variable-current TIA is a two-stage operational amplifier comprising a first stage and a second stage, wherein the first stage comprises the first and second pairs of N and P transistors, and wherein the variable current source includes a first variable current source coupled to the first stage and a second variable current source coupled to the second stage.
 19. The ultrasound apparatus of claim 18, wherein the first and second variable current sources are independently controllable.
 20. The ultrasound apparatus of claim 18, wherein the first and second variable current sources are digitally programmable. 